Blue And Stay Away From My Baby!

Years ago, we ran cattle on our little ranch.  We started out with a couple then kept adding til we had a herd.  The subject of today is Blue.  She was a Blue Roan cow, we had her for years.  She was cantankerous as all get out and she ended up getting her way.

She knew us and we knew her and we both knew what she was capable of and in the battle of wills, she won.  We had separated pastures, some ours and some we leased.  We consistently moved the cattle around between those pastures for grazing and allowing the grass to replete itself.  When it came time to move the cattle the first time out of the main pasture, she wasn't having it.  She refused.  Husband tried everything outside of drugging her, picking her up (not going to happen, she was huge) and moving her, it wasn't going to happen.  She refused to move pastures.

After many various ideas and attempts, the last try was with a cedar fence post.  Through much aggravation, attempts and pure exhaustion on both parts, Blue made a run at husband, he, in self preservation, swung a cedar post at her and it broke over her head.  Cedar posts don't break.  It didn't faze her and he realized, her will was more determined than his and he gave up.  From that day on, all the cattle were moved periodically except Blue.  She stayed in the main pasture, always.

One of the exciting things about running cattle is the spring time when all the calves started being born, you watch, you wait and every once in awhile you see the new addition to your herd and it was great.  Most of the time it just happened, you didn't have to help or worry, just showed up one day.  Every once in awhile you got to witness the miracle and see that baby wobbling up to its feet and stumble around on its first steps on your land.  I remember one day kids were late to school because as we were leaving the house we stopped to watch one of our babies coming into the world.  Nice.

Ok so skip to Blue and one of her new babies.  She, of course, was the only cow in the field, she had recently given birth to one of her many babies.  On this day, her, her baby and husband were in the pasture across the fence from the house.  She was about 30 or 40 feet from husband while he was working on something.  I am standing somewhere close to the house and I can see Blue and husband across the pasture.  My son was also present along with Autumn, my daughter, which I am thinking about 6 years old.

At some point I notice Autumn running across the pasture and without any knowledge herself, she ran right past Blue's baby laying unnoticeable in the grass.  Blue is near by.  And I was close to panic while the first realizations hit me.  Aut was headed towards her dad and Blue was immediately right behind that small child.

Blue had a point to make.  So envision this, huge Blue was right on my tiny daughter's behind.  Aut realized this and picked up the pace like I had never seen her before.  She was running, shrieking towards her dad, Blue had her head down running after her.

Ok, stop.  All I could do was watch in fear and horror.  I was too far away.  Blue was 2 inches from my child, snorting with her nose just inches from my tiny little child.  She was protecting her baby and I had no shot at protecting mine. 

Husband immediately started running towards daughter and Blue.  He said he had no idea what he was going to do when he got to her because Blue had the power to plow both of them down, but he was running towards them just the same.

We realized that Blue could have at any moment picked Aut up with her head and tossed her into the air, she was that close.  She could have just run right over her, but she didn't.  When I said Blue knew us, we had her for years, it was like she was part of the family.  And this day she proved it.

When husband got to Aut, in nano seconds, he, in a flash, picked her up and got his body between her and Blue, but Blue had already stopped.  She just stopped, everybody stopped, it took a second for me to breath normal again.  It was as if she was making a point, keep the kids away from my baby or I will scare you all.  We believe she had no intention of hurting Aut, just making a point.  Wow.  My son, younger than Aut, was watching this whole event unfold, lessons learned the hard way!

Poor Aut, she took it well and to hear her tell this story, it is so much more detailed on her part!  No lasting horror for her, no inhibitions going forward.  It was part of our lives!  Again, wow.  It took me a minute to breath again and it wasn't too long that we were telling this story with humor!  Lots of laughing again.  (although for awhile, a quick thought would take my breath again)

My kids were raised with free run on all of this property.  They often, to this day, comment on how fun their childhood was and wish their own children had the never ending playground to grow up on.  Sometimes I cannot believe the endless imagination this spawned.  Although I do often think about the risks that were overshadowed by the experiences.  So different than how it is today.

So as for Blue, pay attention, it all boils down to knowing someone, even a cow, knowing the game plan.  I love you guys but pay attention to the boundaries, I will chase you!

Be Happy People! ... but don't test the big beast!

Hot Time In The City!!!

Or the country, doesn't matter, it is super hot in Texas!

Good grief, someone pull the shades, bring on the rain, shoot in amongst us, we gotta have some relief!

Sweltering, smothering, lake level lowering, AC killing, UV dominating heat.  After a certain time of day, even my beloved patio is a danger zone.  I love, love, love Texas but this is the time of year (came early, I think) that I wish I had a summer home somewhere else!

People are always surprised when we are playing in the sun while they are still in danger of snow or cold weather, but this is the down side.  Temps over 100 in July, August and sometimes September.  That is when we are lucky they don't start in June.

I was watching the weather the other day, fruitless at best.  And the familiar, huge circle over Texas with the big "H" marking the High that won't allow anything but high temps and no rain, just sits there.  Depressing, especially when they say it will be there awhile.  All around the big "H" circle, in the bordering states, there was rain and lower temps just dancing around us as if to harass us. 

I also saw on Facebook a picture of a once used deck with a long walkway just sitting in the middle of what seemed like a field of grass.  It was described as where the lake used to be in my home town, ugh!

Is this unusual?  No.  Is it OMG signs of global warming or apocalypse ahead?  No.  It is Texas.  On a year of less rain in April, May and June and the temps raise to over 100.  It happens.  It has been worse, I can remember a couple of years we went down in the history books of record weather.  So what do we do?  We don more sunscreen, drink more water, pay higher electric bills, forgo the make up that will just melt off anyway and wait for the break.

We will be rocking great temps when a lot of people will be seeing their first snowfall.  We will be wearing shorts to Ranger playoffs, Football and Halloween.  We won't rake leaves until way into November or December.  We will be sitting on patios at the restaurants.  We did that the other day and it became uncomfortable before we left, even in the shade it was hot.

It is our trade-off, we don't shovel snow, pretty much ever.  So, ok sun, go for it!  Just praying for some rain! 

Be Happy People and Texans - don't forget the sun block!!!

Alright Football!

Go Cowboys!!!!!

Jr.

I just want Dale Jr to Win!

62-50!

62-50!!!  Rangers beats the A's 4-0!

Dad And DadBob!

DadBob!

Not sure where that came from, the word DadBob, but I remember one day my dad said it.  Saying it and the reason why was one of the most hilarious things ever at the time.  One of those things you may not should have been laughing til you cried, but we did.  And this very same instance occurred multiple times with multiple persons along the way.  But never the same person twice, I am not sure but I don't think so.

Dad was gifted, a true horse whisperer.  I have said that before.  But he was a scoundrel too.  On this day he took a hit and his reaction was "DadBob!"  LOL.

Location: our small ranch years ago.  Subjects:  Dad and a glass door.  Because of my children, everyone called him Pop.  He and others were outside, out front.  I was inside with several others.  My front door was open, but there was a glass door which had no object, sticker, reflection or anything to announce to on-comers that it was in fact there and standing between you and the inside of the house.  It had always been there since we built the house, everybody (we thought) knew about the invisible glass door :)

So on this day, dad led a handful of people in effort to make their way inside the house.  For some strange reason, which always was the case, I and others were watching.  Dad was talking, must be where I got it, he talked all the time, he could put you in stitches with his stories, so he was not paying the closest attention.  And there was no time, in a split second I had no time for warning him.  He was about to walk into that door.  Hahaha.  Yes I am laughing while writing this!

And there it was, he slammed his walking, talking self head on into that door without slowing one tiny bit.  (Still laughing audibly while typing these words)  The vision of his body temporarily flattening by the force of natural walking speed into that glass door was instantly astounding.  A mixed moment of OMG, Wow that looked painful, followed by uncontrollable laughter (once, kind of, maybe a micro second after knowing he was ok?)  Not.

He almost always wore his Stetson, but this day he was wearing his cap and it smashed and went cocked off to the side and up his unsuspecting forehead at the moment of impact.  His nose smashed and his glasses were half way up his head on one side and looked a bit crumpled.  The thing is, umm glass door, we could see all of this as if in slow motion, but it only took a second.  Straight after the unsuspected impact, he bounced off the door and immediately exclaimed... DadBob!

Ok, well this just added to the rolling on the floor, tears in your eyes laughter among the bystanders.  You want to and try to muster a compassionate "are you ok?"  But seriously it was nigh impossible.  And any attempt at this is, well, totally understood by my dad, seemed completely, ridiculously insincere.  It would have been the exact moment of spewing tea or any beverage out your nose and mouth had you been unfortunate enough to have been drinking at that very moment.

And where the heck did DadBob come from?  Seriously, the fact that it was that word that came out of his mouth, just cracked everyone up even more.  I must look up the origin but I suspect all for naught, it won't be there.

He played it off like a champ!  Laughed with us all while straightening his cap and glasses, embarrassed I am sure, but around our circle of family and friends, being embarrassed was fruitless.  You might as well jump into the hilarity because it was going to happen.  It could not be dissuaded.  Not going to happen.  If I tell you I am laughing at myself, I mean it.  Cannot miss a moment when you can laugh instead of cry.  It is good for the soul.  Here it is sooooo many years later and I am laughing.  Love it.

There were other occasions with this same glass door.  Billy Jones' mom, older lady, did it also.  But she was madder than a wet hen, she did not laugh at all.  I think she may have hit her son for laughing and we, all those in the presence of this totally priceless situation, had to muffle and I mean muffle fast because she was the opposite of amused!  For the duration of her visit, she was mad and we could barely contain ourselves!  I felt so bad, but I was cracking up on the inside, can't even deny it.

Then there was our psycho kitty that no one knows what went on in her head, but she decided instantly one day to jump up and shoot out the door, ummm glass door.  Our laughter that day was preceded by a moment of shocked silence - what the heck!?  It was as if someone invisible had poked her with a cattle-prod... again, what the heck?!   Then laughter ensued... LOL!

I was reminded of these events because the other day I had a similar experience, all alone, but laughed just the same.  Mosquitoes are evil creatures and I have had to keep the screen on my patio door closed to aid in the fight against them.  Going out to the patio to drink my morning coffee, very early in the morning it was dark outside which totally made the screen invisible.  I didn't hit the screen full on, but I was leading with the full cup of coffee and it did.

I was momentarily shocked, like what the heck!  Coffee went everywhere.  I laughed.  Although irritated by the fact that I am having to get coffee out of the carpet instead of drinking it at such an early hour, I laughed.  Where are the guffaws, the comradery of family and friends when you need them????


Might as well Lighten Up People!  Laughing is a great thing!  Even at your own expense!